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The number of first-time mothers suffering from depression peaks fours years after giving birth, finds a new study published in BJOG:An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. This new research from Murdoch Children's Research Institute, shines a spotlight on the mental health and wellbeing of mothers of pre-school aged children, and calls for policy and practice in primary health care to safeguard the mental health of mothers beyond the immediate post partum period. Read full article

This week, happychild had the privilege of speaking with Megan Mitchell, Australia’s first National Children’s Commissioner. We were interested to understand more about her role and what she has to say about the state of children’s rights in Australia after her first eight months on the job. Read full article

Here is this week's best-of-the-best child and parenting articles found on the internet, selected by happychild contributor, Michelle Higgins. This week, topics include motherhood, education, literacy, and talking to children about sex education. Read full article

The newly released study, Spanking and Child Development Across the First Decade of Life published by the American Academy of Paediatrics, found that smacking children up to the age of 5 predicted negative outcomes for children by age 9. In particular, those negative outcomes are more "externalising behaviour" (this means outward expressions of problematic behaviour like aggression) and less "receptive vocabulary" ( this means the words that can be understood by a child but not necessarily expressed in speech or writing) . Read full article

That got your attention, didn’t it? When other mums think about my life with twins and say to me, “I can’t imagine it…”, I say, you can, just close your eyes and imagine. You have toilet trained one toddler - caught wees and rushed little bot bots to the loo with the speed of a mother possessed. Read full article

What if instead of deciding to shame teenagers out of 'choosing' to become parents with a questionable 'public health' campaign, New York City instead focused their efforts on ending the 'epidemic' of advanced age motherhood? Imagine the outrage. Read full article

A UK personality and businessperson - Hilary Devey - is quoted in the Daily Mail as saying: “I can’t get any women on my board because women generally put their partner and children first.’ and "There are lots of myths about why women are under-represented in the boardroom, but the excuse about a 'glass ceiling' is the worst. I am living proof there’s no such thing.” In my opinion, both of those latter statements are utter nonsense... Read full article

I live in a small town way out in the country where – it’s true – debates about helicopter parenting are pretty rare. Here packs of sunburned kids ride helmetless around our winding roads, the wind blowing through their sweaty hair, the sun reflecting off their freckled faces...When Catherine Deveny decries helicopter parents and all their associated neuroses, she avoids the very persistent reality for many mothers: that of an oppressive sense of responsibility. Read full article

I am a mother; therefore I must be dumb. Well, that’s what everyone keeps trying to tell me, right? I got my first hint when I returned to work after becoming a mother. “Don’t call yourself a ‘working mum’. They won’t take you seriously. You have to be professional at work and calling yourself a ‘working mum’ isn’t very professional,” was the advice given to me by a senior female executive. Read full article